How to Freeze Food and Save Money

Use Your Freezer to Save on Groceries

Sep 5, 2007 Shelley Elmblad

Did you ever buy sale food in bulk but get it home and wonder how to store it all? Get tips for freezing food so you can buy sale food and store it for later use.

You are grocery shopping and you find a great sale on ground beef, then you see a 2-for 1 sale on blueberries. And the bakery day-old-sale rack hold hamburger buns at half off regular price. You add all these sale foods to your cart, but at home as you unpack the food, you realize you cannot use all this food before it spoils.

How will you store your grocery sale bounty? Just make some room in your freezer to accommodate those grocery treasures!

Save Space in the Freezer

To make the most of freezer space, freeze food flat in freezer bags, then stack the bags horizontally or vertically in the freezer. Freeze fruits and vegetables (see more on freezing vegetables below) in freezer bags on a cookie sheet, or freeze first on a cookie sheet and then place in freezer bags to keep fruit or vegetables from sticking together.
Freeze flat. Squeeze as much air as possible out of the freezer bag to not only save room in the freezer but also to keep food from developing freezer burn. 30 Day Gourmet recommends removing the maximum amount of air from the freezer bag by closing the top of the bag almost all the way, inserting a drinking straw and sucking the air out of the freezer bag. Obviously, you need to take care if using this method.
Get the air out. If size or shape of store packages do not fit well into your freezer storage scheme, take food out of packaging and divide it up into smaller packages.
Temperature and circulation. Use a freezer thermometer and keep the freezer at 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Leave some space around frozen food packages so air can circulate to keep the freezer running efficiently.
Mark, date and list. It is difficult to mark cold freezer bags, so remember to mark freezer bags with what the contents are and the date frozen before you place food in the bags. Then keep a list of what you have stored in your freezer and refer to it when menu planning to you do not end up with the infamous "mystery mummified freezer food" that has lived too long in the recesses of your freezer.

Freezing Meat, Poultry and Fish

Avoid any chance of freezer burn by wrapping meat, poultry and fish in freezer paper or plastic wrap then put it into a freezer bag. You can freeze meat, poultry and fish in store packaging but wrap the package with plastic wrap before placing into freezer bags, because the store packaging tends to develop very small holes or tears between the store and your freezer. Most meat, poultry and fish freeze well for three months.

Freezing Bakery Items

Breads, cookies and cakes all freeze well. Be sure use a freezer bag or container that keeps out air to prevent bakery items from tasting dry and stale when thawed. Most breads and unfrosted cakes freeze well for two months, while cookies and frosted cakes hold up for up to a year in the freezer.

Freezing Milk and Cheese

A gallon of milk takes up a lot of room but if you use a spare freezer you can freeze skim, 1% and 2% milk. Allow for expansion by pouring out about a cup of milk from a gallon before freezing. According to Saputo Milk Division Lait - Dairyland, you can freeze milk for up to three months. Thaw milk in the refrigerator and shake it well when thawed.

Cheese may become crumbly after freezing, but freezing does not effect the taste. Freeze most cheese for up to 3 months, but do not freeze cottage cheese. Butter and margarine both freeze well for six to nine months.

Freezing Fresh Vegetables

The secret to freezing fresh vegetables is to blanch them before freezing. Blanching means to plunge foods into boiling water for a few seconds, then drain the vegetables and place them in ice water to maintain color and texture after freezing. Follow these directions for blanching different vegetables, and use frozen vegetables within eight months.

Freezing Fresh Fruit

Fresh fruit can be frozen when it is fully ripened, otherwise it will taste bitter. Wash the fruit thoroughly and remove stems before freezing in freezer bags. Fresh frozen fruit will have a mushy consistency when thawed so it is only useful for cooking. Use frozen fruit within six months.

Freezing Fresh Herbs

Fresh leafy herbs like basil, cilantro and parsley freeze well for up to three months. Chop the herbs finely first, freeze in a flat layer on a cookie sheet (don't forget to take them out!), then transfer from cookie sheet to freezer bag quickly to avoid thawing. If you will use herbs in soup or stew, you can measure out teaspoons or tablespoons of herbs and freeze them in ice cubes. Drop the ice cube directly into the soup or stew to let it thaw.

Catch that Food Sale Again!

Now that you know how to freeze food so you use less space in your freezer, be sure to catch more food sales. Did you know grocery stores offer the same food sales throughout the year on a revolving basis? Remember where you bought food on sale so you can buy in quantity again, keep a price book.

Resource: Kansas State University Extension Freezer Storage Chart was used as a reference for freezing times.

The copyright of the article How to Freeze Food and Save Money in Personal Budgeting/Finance is owned by Shelley Elmblad. Permission to republish How to Freeze Food and Save Money in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Freezer Storage

Freeze Fresh Fruit

Freeze Fresh Vegetables

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